Entwined
by Cinerari
Summary: A sister piece to Crushing for f/m pairings requests. Includes Marina/Zero, Emeraldas/Zero, Kei/Daiba, and Shinunora/Harlock.
1. Terms of Endearment (MarinaZero)

**Figured I'd start uploading these here, because maybe some of you might like them maybe. Thank you for reading. Sorry if there are any mistakes.**

**Prompt: Each of the pair from the other's point of view **

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><p>The Captain had fallen asleep on the job again. Killing him for it seemed like a reasonable option, but I had to remember that he'd stayed up late checking over all the scans since I'd nagged him to. Of course he should have already had that done, so I wasn't the bad guy here. It was his own fault.<p>

The boys on the bridge all pleadingly whispered to let him sleep. Either he got to sleep, or he was going to be grumpy with them all day. I had to work to feel sympathy there, since the Captain never bothered to be short with me when he was low on sleep. He was a gentleman to a fault.

And I had to admit, it was entertaining in a strange way – watching him nap on his console. He snored horribly, like an engine with a broken, rattling part. His cheek was squished onto the panel in front of him, drool forming in a small puddle. It was entertaining in-part because he was usually so attractive.

I would have never said as much to anyone, but he was attractive in his own way. It was difficult to place exactly what it was that made him attractive. His nose was too big, too long and now crooked from a bad punch he'd taken recently. His hair was so full of cowlicks, even his hat couldn't hide them all. He was somewhat awkwardly tall, somewhat clumsy, as though he'd never managed to match a growth spurt. And good grief, his eyebrows really needed some work.

When I'd first joined the Karyū, Unabara had mentioned with a smile that every young crew member gets a crush on their captain at some point. I thought he was joking.

But there was just something about Zero. It was something in the way his smile warmed his eyes, or how his laugh rumbled softly from his chest. Something about the way he could be shy like a child one moment then confidently barking orders the next. And how he was always quick to help someone with their problems, even while he struggled with his own.

He was attractive, even if I couldn't place it physically. He was also a bit of a mess, and sleeping on his console was going to make his cowlicks even worse on the side of his head, but I decided to let him sleep. It was too entertaining not too.

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><p>Marina was mad at me again. If I had a day off for every time…<p>

But actually this incident wasn't my fault. She even knew it wasn't my fault, and yet I was getting the brunt of it. There was no one else to put the blame on, since she wasn't sure who the culprit was, and I couldn't blame her for being angry.

This was the most ridiculous mess I'd ever seen.

Apparently some of the boys jokingly wanted to get a gift for _us._ At least, I hoped it was jokingly. No one in their right mind should have thought Marina would appreciate the lacy… revealing… thing. Every time I thought about it my face heated up a few degrees. To my knowledge, that had been the joke. They were more interested in my reaction than hers, and everyone brought it up when they could just to see me blush.

Marina, meanwhile, was on the hunt for the culprits. They would not get away with it. There was no chance. She hadn't blushed about it since she thought I was responsible. At that time, she was a bit of a mess. "Captain, y-you can't just drop things like this on me," she'd stuttered, her cheeks as pink as her uniform.

I had no idea what she was talking about at the time, but she did look very cute. I half-wondered if she was almost okay with the whole thing until she realized it wasn't my fault. Surely not.

I let her have free reign of the ship, unsympathetic to the nervous crewmen asking me to make her stop. I couldn't have if I wanted to. She was the queen of the ship, and I was more like the knight. She held more power than I did when it really came down to it. It wasn't something I liked to admit, but I got weak when it came to her. She could ask me to do anything, and I always gave in. It was a good thing she was on my side.

She returned to my room that night, pouting slightly. "I'll get them tomorrow," she grumbled.

"I believe you," I smiled. "So what did you do with that, uh… that?"

Again, a blush dusted her cheeks. Her eyes locked on the floor. "I'm not going to wear it if they bought it."

"Well, I'd wear it, but it wouldn't fit me," I shrugged.

She snorted. She actually snorted. Then her hands flew to cover her face, her eyes wide. "Oh my God," she squeaked.

"I mean, I could try it on if you want-"

She buried her face in her hands, shushing me from behind them. But she couldn't keep from giggling. It was important to keep the queen happy, after all.


	2. Escape (EmeraldasZero)

**Some of these are a little old, like this one.**

**Prompt: Hanging out with friends**

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><p>Emeraldas' favorite government dog had one particular problem. Well, he had many problems, but they were working on those. This one was more like an impossible to remove leech, a leech with bright blue eyes that were usually glaring disapprovingly at her.<p>

Zero's favorite pirate also had a particular problem, though one that admittedly didn't show up as often. It was like a mosquito that appeared at unexpected and unwanted times, buzzing in his ear no matter how many times he brushed it away.

The queen pirate and commander shared a glance across the table to show their distress. So much for an enjoyable evening.

"Emeraldas," Marina called to grab her attention away from the captain. "It's been a while." She sipped a cocktail, somewhat proud that she'd managed to track her captain and the pirate down. It certainly wasn't safe for them to be alone together in some cheap bar.

"Not long enough," Emeraldas sighed under her breath. Zero cleared his throat to cover her words. "What are you doing here?" the pirate questioned at an audible level.

"Having a drink," the first officer answered.

Zero had stopped bothering to pay attention to whatever Harlock was going on about. He was more concerned with the women, seeming ready to go for each others' throats. He was lucky they were both so civilized and good at hiding their distaste with a mask.

The square table held two pirates and two Independents, each one sharing irritation with the others being there. The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade.

"So are you going to tell me about this new weapons project, or are you going to keep letting the government screw with you without question?" Harlock concluded. He was happy to have followed Emeraldas here. He didn't mind Zero honestly, but he certainly didn't approve of Zero near Emeraldas.

Zero finally took notice of what the pirate was saying. Biting his tongue only held him back so much. An excuse to get away from the table spilled from his mouth. "I need a drink." His glass actually was empty, and he thanked the heavens for how much he drank.

"Me as well," Emeraldas noted as she stood to follow him.

The two left at the table were stuck, their drinks still full. They stared uncomfortably at each other before looking back to their targets.

Zero and Emeraldas leaned against the bar top, their arms pressed together as they muttered in hushed tones while the bartender fixed them another round.

"Could you call off your dog?" Zero grumbled.

"He's not _my _dog. Could you call off yours?"

"She won't listen to me."

Emeraldas gave a silent sigh. If she stayed any longer, she was likely to pull a gun on both of them. "Where's our way out?"

"The back?" Zero looked pleadingly to the bartender, who shrugged with a slight smile.

"Let's go somewhere nice," Emeraldas hummed, "like my ship. That way I can shoot them if they try to follow us again."

Zero pulled down on the brim of his cap, trying not to smile. She had a nice way of thinking. "Yes, ma'am."


	3. Switch (ShinunoraFranklin)

**Prompt: Cosplaying**

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><p>Harlock was sure this was the stupidest plan they possibly could have made up. Couldn't they just shoot everyone? Much easier, in his opinion.<p>

"If we go out there, they're going to kill us," Shinunora reminded him as though she could read his mind. "You can't kill them all, Harlock. I don't care how good you think you are. Now suck in so I can tie this."

He did as he was told just to get her to stop insulting him. Pink, so much pink. "I would have looked better in the blue one," he muttered.

"Well you didn't fit in the blue one," she snapped.

It was always nice to push her buttons. "I still look better in this one than you look in your usual dress."

She tugged hard on the corset, yanking away his breath. Then she quickly tied up the back of his dress, not bothering to take much care in making it look good. He was such a pain in the ass. She hoped he passed out from lack of air. "Now let's go out there, and keep your head down, so we can meet up with Tochiro and not get killed."

She stepped in front of him to check over her handiwork, licking her thumb to rub off a smudge of dirt on his nose. With her hair tied up and hidden under his hat, she painted a very delicate and feminine picture of a man. She certainly wasn't used to pants, and the ones she'd taken from the rack of costumes behind the theater were far too itchy for her liking. Harlock pulled his hat down father over her eyes, much like he wore it.

"I'll behave," he smiled. His pink dress was a mess of ruffles, and despite having combed his hair, he still had a bit of a 5 o'clock shadow. This was never going to work. "You look nice though," he offered. "Almost like a real cowboy. Your skin's a bit too nice though."

"Who says I wasn't already a real cowboy?" she smirked, offering her arm to him. "Unlike you, I am a proper gentleman."

"Oh goodness, you're right," he gasped dramatically as he took hold of her arm. "I may just fall head over heels for you."

"Oh, be careful madam." She grabbed his chin with her gloved hand, turning to face her. "I'm a real killer."

"Oh, I can certainly believe it."


	4. Suited (KeiDaiba)

**Prompt: In a different clothing style **

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><p>"It's a celebration, Daiba, you're supposed to have fun," Kei reminded him with an easy smile. "And you're going to wrinkle your clothes sitting like that."<p>

She said that like he cared, but when it was her saying it, well, he guessed he did. Pulling his leg from across the chair's back, he turned himself around to sit forward and smoothed down the creases in his new pants. "Doesn't really matter," he muttered. "Don't look good in them."

As he turned, she moved to stand at his side, her hands on her hips to let him know she was right no matter what he said. "Of course you do," she insisted. "I wouldn't let you go out in a suit that didn't look good." Once again, she reached out to brush his bangs from where they rebelliously hung in front of his eyes, curling them behind his ear. He had too nice of eyes to hide them.

His gaze flicked continuously over the outfit she'd picked out for herself, glancing quickly from the dress to his lap in an attempt to keep it from being too obvious. She just looked so beautiful. It wasn't fair. He was sure everyone there was thinking it, and he just looked stiff and uncomfortable.

Kei wasn't concerned with what all of them were thinking. She'd bought the blue dress for herself only because Daiba had mentioned how he thought she looked good in blue. Of course, then he'd run off with a beet-red face. She'd also made sure to get a dress that cut up the side of her leg just to see if she could get him to blush again. It was too cute to resist.

He really did look adorable in the suit, a soft cream color like icing. She could have gotten him a usual black tux, but he looked best in light colors, and he looked best when he stood out just for her, different from everyone else.

The string instruments plucked the beginnings of another light piece, champagne glasses ringing in time with the new song as they settled against tables. This was their celebration, so they deserved to have fun. And Kei would ensure Daiba would enjoy himself, even if it took a little work on her part.

She offered him her hand, watching his eyes widen as though she'd made some sort of mistake. "May I have this dance?" she hummed.

He was dumbfounded. His body seemed glued to the chair. "Why?"

A curious smile eased onto the edges of her lips, and she grabbed his arm to hook with hers. "Because I won't dance with anyone but the best man in the room."


	5. Initiation (MarinaZero)

**Prompt: Hanging out with friends**

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><p>As much as the men of the Karyū may have grumbled and complained about Marina's policies, they did respect her. They respected her in a different way than their captain, because they could still play around with the more easy-going man. Few could joke with the first officer and live to tell the tale.<p>

Marina found that amusing. Her favorites were the ones who realized she had a sense of humor and loved to battle with playful insults. "Alright," she snapped, pointing at her favorites. "So what are we going to do about the new recruits?"

She'd downed a few martinis and was now seated across her captain's lap. Of course, no one was allowed to have relationships with their coworkers on the ship, and public displays of affection were especially out. But they were on a supply run at the moment and had taken a break in a bar with only a small gathering of the crew, so it wasn't technically breaking rules.

Zero had one arm around her middle and one hand raising a glass of bourbon to his lips. Of course, she was keeping track of the number he drank just in case. He paused as she spoke, raising a curios brow. "Are you talking about a hazing?"

"Not hazing," she smiled playfully. "More like a prank."

"God, it's been years since we had and initiation," Unabara muttered, lost in thought. "Do you remember yours, Captain?"

Zero preferred not to.

"Well we can't make it too bad," Rai grinned. "Don't want to scare 'em off."

"Make them clean the whole ship with toothbrushes," Grenadier mused.

Marina quickly shook her head. "Not good enough."

Zero was growing concerned. They really didn't need to scare off a batch of new recruits. He'd already gotten to like some of them.

Marina knocked back the rest of her martini, a thought jumping to mind as she did. "We should butter the showers," she decided. "And have them all go to shower, and when they turn on the water…" Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Then we can say that none of the loyal crew would have done something so childish and blame it on them. They'll have to clean it up."

"And this is why I try to stay on your good side," Zero muttered, leaning his forehead against her shoulder.

She lightly smacked his cheek. "Keep it up, Captain. Now how much butter do we have stocked up? I hope you're ready to coat those showers."

"Yes, ma'am," he snickered.


	6. Alone Together (EmeraldasZero)

**Promt: "Shh, c'mere…"**

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><p>As far as Zero could tell, Emeraldas didn't get drunk like anyone else he'd ever seen. In fact, he would have thought she couldn't get drunk if not for the question she asked after the two of them had gone through more bottles of wine than were really necessary.<p>

"Zero, do you still have your parents?" The usual calmness of her voice remained, smooth with hints of light tones. Zero was often happy to just listen to the sweetness of it, but the question threw him. He turned from frowning at the last empty wine bottle to face her, but she was staring ahead, her face as pleasantly calm as her voice. Her legs were stretched out down the length of her bed, framed by the red suit that Zero had always found unreasonably attractive.

"I have them…yes," he said with heavy hesitation. "You don't want to meet them, do you? You…can, but they're a bit-," he chewed on an idea for the right word "-overbearing." Yes, that would work.

She smiled, just that hint of a curve at the corners of her lips, and Zero could only feel confused. Family had always been a subject completely off the table for them. He'd asked her one time, just trying to get to know her better, and it became clear when she immediately changed the subject that it wasn't a topic they would discuss. Clearly, since she'd brought it up, the alcohol was getting to her in some way.

She pulled her hair around her shoulder to fall down her chest to her legs and began to run her fingers through it. It seemed to Zero that she was avoiding facing him. "No, that's not what I meant, though I would be happy to meet your parents at some point," she said. "What are they like? Are they loving?"

"A bit too much," he sighed, stretching out his legs to mirror hers. "Only with me though. They're not together anymore. Honestly, they were never really together, but…" He shook his head. "My mom is really protective, and my dad is, er, way too proud of me." Though she still didn't look his way, he could see confusion filling her face. They were still a foot apart on the oversized bed, but it was Zero's first time in her room, and it had taken all her wine to calm him down enough to even lie back on her bed. It was a nice room, very…red.

"I no longer have my parents as they once were," she confessed.

Zero's brows shot up. Her wording was clearly off, and the idea of machine men sprung to mind, but he didn't want to ask. If she was going to tell him anything on this subject that she'd so purposefully avoided, it would be completely of her own volition.

"But they were loving as well. My sister inherited that much from them. I suppose I inherited my mother's stubbornness and her drive, but she was also very naïve. She trusted in those around her far too much. My father was more intelligent in that sense. He was very kind, an innocent to the end." Her eyelids fell heavy with sadness, so Zero reached over and took hold of her hand.

Finally, she looked at him. He offered her a smile. "I'm sorry I don't understand all of what happened, so I can't offer you much to help. But I do know that they raised you to be so amazing, and I'm thankful for that much."

She smiled in return with a slow nod. "I suppose I should tell you, since I don't think you've figured it out, but my bloodline is not from Earth."

Zero squinted as he tried to understand how that could possibly work, glancing down at her clearly human hand and then back up at her clearly human face. "Do what now?"

Her smile widened to a genuine amusement. "Ah, Zero. I'm of the royal bloodline of La Metal."

From the many history lessons he'd been forced to sit through, Zero recalled that La Metal had nearly collided with Earth hundreds of years before. The residents were also structurally similar to humans, but he couldn't bring himself to remember what the actual differences were. "Royal bloodline," he murmured as he shoved all the pieces together in his head. "So you're a princess?" He was dating a princess. He suddenly felt horribly underdressed for the part.

But she shook her head, her calm façade back in place. "No, I broke my ties with the monarchy there. I'm just Emeraldas. Though if I had stayed, I would be queen."

"That does explain the name of your ship," he frowned.

"That is entirely unrelated."

Zero was starting to feel a bit lost. "So La Metalians, what exactly is non human about you?"

She looked down to his hand, still holding hers, before she brought the other over to place over his. "Technically speaking, we're more intelligent than humans. We've evolved beyond you. Our lifespan is much longer than yours, our aging slowed." She didn't want to look in his eyes, but she found herself watching them as the realization and sadness sunk in. "I am so sorry, Zero."

She hated that false smile, but she couldn't hate his simple words. "Shh," he breathed as he shook his head. "Come here."

She so rarely allowed herself close contact that it was strange when his arm circled her middle. But his side was so warm as it pressed up against her. His breath against her skin was sweet as he kissed her temple. So she leaned in to rest her head against his shoulder. "I just wish I could see you more," she murmured, reaching up to place her hand on his cheek. "But I know you can't divert from your path just as I cannot mine."

"But I'll see you as much as I can and more. You shouldn't worry."

"It's impossible not to worry about you," she smiled. "You attract nothing but trouble."

"Oh?" He leaned his cheek against her hair. "Is that how I managed to be caught by you?"

She laughed, a quiet, almost invisible sound. "I suppose it is, but I think the wine helped."


	7. Little One 1 (MarinaZero)

**Prompt: "I think someone had a little accident with the finger paints." (Zero and Marina and a toddler from hell creating havoc on the Karyuu)**

**I didn't really want to make an OC child, so I sort of stole one from elsewhere. A+ for you if you recognize where. **

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><p>Marina was yelling for me at the other end of the hall, and I had a good guess as to why. It likely had something to do with the rainbow smudges of paint dabbed against the wall in row after row of fingerprints. "It's washable," I called back as Marina began to storm toward me. Down on one knee, I'd taken an interest in the attempt to form Analyzer with pudgy fingers that hadn't quite learned how to move evenly yet.<p>

"I just can't believe you let her have paint unsupervised," Marina scolded. "It's _everywhere._"

"I don't blame her. The walls all being gray is pretty boring." I stood and turned to find she didn't appreciate the joke, her brows knitted and her finger tapping against her crossed arms. "Alright-alright, I'll take care of it." Her shoulders were tense under my hands.

"I don't believe you. You're too soft when it comes to giving her proper punishment, and you know it."

"Punishment?" I frowned. "But she's three."

She raised a brow. "And she's old enough to know better. She'll need to be put in time out and will help clean the walls until they are spotless."

Marina had a strange habit of treating children just like the men she commanded, and while I didn't exactly approve, there wasn't much I could do about it. Honestly, if it wasn't for her, Sasha probably would have run the ship. The three year-old and Marina had that much in common in a way.

"Well, if you're going to have her serve her time, you'll have to find her first." I eyed the trails of paint. "At least it won't be too difficult."

"One of these days she's going to run into something dangerous," Marina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This ship isn't a child safe zone. Isn't there someone on Earth who can keep her?"

I didn't even take a moment to consider my answer. "No. The men always make sure she doesn't get into anything dangerous. She's fine."

For once, Marina caved, though she still shook her head. "I just worry about her, captain."

I was more worried about whatever she was likely making a mess of at that moment. She was a little devil. Placing my arm around Marina's shoulders, I began leading her along the walls covered in handprints not even the size of my palm. "She knows how to strap herself down in the case of a sudden fight, can help out with nearly everything in the kitchen, and can tie her shoes all because you showed her how. I think there's a lot more to her than what you're worrying about."

I didn't need to worry as much, because she was within my grasp. I could protect her here. If she was on Earth, it would have eaten away at my gut until I was a nervous wreck. We weren't supposed to have children onboard, but Sasha wasn't an average child. I wasn't completely sure what she was, but she'd been alone when we found her, and she wasn't anymore.

Her lilac eyes were focused intently on the project in front of her as she sat on her legs in front of a new canvas – the wall beside my room. Her purple dress was possibly ruined, with half the tray of paint wiped on it. I assumed it had been used as a tool to clean off her hand when she wanted a new color. Her hair too, so long it reached the back of her knees when she stood, was covered in coats of the seven colors from the tray that sat beside her. Marina heaved a sigh. "It's your turn to give her a bath."

"It's fine. I can handle it." Sasha didn't bother to look up even as my boots were right next to her. "What are you working on there?"

"Not done," she said with a pout.

"Ah." I was trying not to smile, trying to be stern. "You know that the walls aren't the place you should be painting on. That was why we gave you all that paper. All this paint on the walls will need to be cleaned up."

She didn't like the idea one bit, puffing her cheeks and refusing to talk to me.

"And you'll be the one cleaning it up," Marina said more firmly than I could manage. "You'll also need a bath, and that dress is probably ruined, meaning you can't wear it anymore."

I felt it was best not to mention that not only was the paint washable, but Sasha wasn't a fan of the dress anyway.

"I'm done," she said, standing up and purposefully wiping her hands on the dress. I knelt down for her to see what could possibly be so important. "See," she pointed. "That one is me, and that one's Daddy, and that one's Mommy."

"Oh, I see," I smiled. Though the uneven stick figures didn't exactly resemble people, the color schemes were clearly meant to represent the three of us. I wanted to tell her it was nice, but Marina might have hit me.

Sasha noticed she still had an excess of paint on her hands, frowning as she tried to wipe it off. It apparently wasn't working, since I found her suddenly using my shoulder as a towel instead. "Little one," I frowned. "I think next time you'll just be getting crayons."


	8. Little One 2 (MarinaZero)

**Prompt: "Mm ... votre enfant avant cinq heures du matin." ("Mm…_your_ kid before five in the morning.")**

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><p>How she'd managed to get out of her room, traversed the darkened halls to find his, and climbed up onto his bed, Zero would never be sure. He was sure that she was currently jumping on the mattress between him and Marina, occasionally jumping on his leg on accident. And of course they were both awake. There was no way for them not to be, but they were still both pretending that her endless bouncing hadn't stirred them. It was better that way.<p>

Never one to give up, Sasha noticed she wasn't getting anywhere and changed tactics. "Daddy, Mommy," she said with each bounce, her voice growing louder. "Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!"

"She's your kid," Marina growled into her pillow.

Zero didn't move, still desperately trying to fall back asleep. "She's _your_ kid before 5 AM."

"Daaaaddy," Sasha howled. "Moooommy."

"Take her back to her room and lock her in there," Marina said. "Then you'll at least stop being a total pushover for her."

"I am not a total pushover." With another jump, Sasha landed back on his leg, but couldn't manage to right herself. The brunt of her weight fell to his stomach, and he wheezed as the air left his lungs.

"Sorry, Daddy." Sasha crawled up to lay her head on his chest, patting him to help.

"It's okay, little one," he said through a wince. "But what are you doing in here?"

"You're being a pushover again," Marina warned.

Sasha wasn't deterred. She knew all too well that her father would give into her demands. "I am hungry."

But Zero couldn't bring himself to get out of bed, even for her. "We can eat in five hours, so how about we go to sleep now?"

Marina glanced at the glaring blue numbers of the alarm clock beside her. It would be well past the serving time for breakfast in five hours, and her captain would not get away with sleeping in. "Go back to your room, Sasha. Breakfast will be served at eight as usual."

"But I'm _hungry_! I want snack."

Zero sighed, sharp exhaustion sinking into his eyes. "Sasha, do you love us?" he asked.

"Yes!" She sat up like an eager puppy, causing her father to wince again at the weight on his stomach. "I love you bunches."

"Well, when you love someone, you let them sleep if they're really tired." It wasn't exactly a lie, and Zero felt no qualms with telling her. Marina was momentarily impressed by the idea. It still didn't count as scolding, so she didn't completely approve. Her captain was still being a doormat.

"Are you really tired?" Sasha asked, her voice dripping with disappointment.

"I am extremely tired. Mommy is also very tired, and if she doesn't get enough sleep, she is very scary." He smiled even as Marina reached over to smack his face as best she could in the dark. "See? Very scary."

Sasha rolled over to fall between them and crawled to the head of the bed. "But that's all the time."

Marina grumbled something that Zero assumed was not child friendly while Sasha set to burrowing under the blankets. "Captain," the first officer warned. "If she does this now, it's going to become a nightly occurrence."

Zero knew she was right, and that would turn into a nightmare. Reluctantly, he began to plead with the adorable child snuggling her way up under his arm as though it were an extra blanket. "Little one, you need to go back to your room. You can't sleep in here. This is my room."

"Mommy's not sleeping in her room," Sasha said without skipping a beat.

Zero worried she might catch a few of the curses Marina was muttering into her pillow. "How about, just this one night, we can all stay in my room?" Zero said in a rush. He could easily see Marina dragging the girl back to her room and throwing her in like a garbage bag. "Then tomorrow night, we can all go back to our own rooms?" Even in the absolute darkness, he knew Marina was glaring at him, but he just didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

"Okay," Sasha chirped, holding his arm like one of the dozens of stuffed animals back in her room. Tomorrow night she would just go straight to the kitchen instead.

Tomorrow night, Marina was going to make sure Zero slept alone. That way he really got the message.

Zero would care about how badly his decisions had backfired in the morning, but he had already managed to fall asleep again.


	9. Little One 3 (MarinaZero)

**Prompt: Sasha at about one or two months old**

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><p>Sasha's crib was bolted to the floor, cushioned on all sides, and had specially made gravitational fields to ensure that no amount of force hitting the ship would bother her. She could still move freely as she pleased, able to reach up for the glittering starry mobile a few of the men had chipped in to buy her.<p>

Marina had stationed the crib in the safest center point of the ship, even though they'd yet to run into an incident that caused more than a scratch to the Karyū's hull. Better safe than sorry, of course.

Every night when Zero put Sasha to bed, he would hang over the crib upwards of half an hour, letting her fall asleep with his finger clutched in her hand. It wasn't until he wasn't available that Marina learned how necessary the ritual was. Each time she tried to leave the room or even stepped foot away from the crib, Sasha would begin to scream in upset. It left Marina so irritable and exhausted that she grumbled quiet threats down at her daughter until she was absolutely positive that the girl was asleep.

As soon as the door to the nursery slid open, Sasha broke into another cry, and Marina just couldn't take it anymore. "Fine," she groaned. "But when Dr. Machine gets upset, I'm not taking the fall for it." Of course blaming a baby was stupid, but she went ahead and scooped Sasha up, immediately quelling the noise. Half crazed from exhaustion, she stalked down the hall to the infirmary.

The room was dimmed, but gentle yellow lights allowed enough visibility to see the half-dozen men resting inside. "Captain, wake up," she hissed as she neared his bed.

He had a bad habit of forgetting his role as a Captain, running into fights that were the responsibility of those under him. At least Marina thought so, and the stitches and bandages holding his shoulder together seemed proof enough of that. Despite how long he'd been asleep, he was still exhausted from the drugs keeping his pain away. His eyelids peeled up against a weight holding them down, but he smiled when he saw his girls.

"What's the matter?" His voice was soft and somewhat slurred like after a few too many good drinks.

"She won't let me go to sleep," Marina said as she held out Sasha for Zero to take. "You're going to have to do something, or I will lose it."

"Aw, I'm sure she didn't mean it." With his right shoulder wrecked, Zero shifted Sasha into the crook of his left arm, while she reached up to him and cooed softly. "Maybe she just missed me."

"Because you spoil her rotten," Marina said. "I should have just let her cry herself out. You're not going to be able to hold her like that all night."

"I'm not?" He leaned his face in closer to Sasha so she could clamp a hand down on his nose. "I wouldn't drop her. I can barely move as things are really."

"You can't say that for sure. What happens if we're suddenly attacked?" It was incredibly unlikely while they were in allied space, but Marina would take no chances.

"You don't have to worry. I've got her."

He sounded so sure of himself that Marina hesitated. She didn't have many options if she wanted to get to sleep, and it was clear enough from the look in Zero's eyes that he would never let harm come to his daughter. But Marina sighed, shaking her head. "No-no, this isn't going to work."

Zero's expression fell as Sasha was stolen from his grasp. "Ah, but I've got her, really," he pleaded.

"Hush, you'll wake the other men." And they were never going to let her live this down. Seating herself on the bed, she squirmed into the gap Sasha had been in until Zero finally understood what was going on and put his arm around her. "They're going to make fun of us so much for this," she hissed.

"Hm?" Zero frowned, resting his cheek comfortably against her hair.

"When the men see us like this, they'll think it's hilarious. This is why you're not supposed to get hurt." Content in her arms, Sasha began to fall asleep again, and Marina could only resign to her inevitable embarrassment.

"I kind of stopped caring about them making fun of me a while back," Zero said through a yawn. "They're probably just jealous, because most of them are single." He half-snorted at his own joke, starting to relax back into sleep.

Marina sighed again, not exactly consoled. "We really need to start working on letting Sasha fall asleep on her own, or I'm going to go crazy."

Zero was thankfully asleep enough not to say aloud that she was already crazy. Instead, he answered with a breathed "mm-hm."

Marina tried her best to stay angry with the little bundle in her arms, but her daughter's rosy cheeks framed by wisps of hair were unfairly cute. And Zero was so comfortable to lie against, especially considering how warm he was without a shirt. She would deal with whatever ramifications her actions created in the morning. At the very least, she could sleep until then, and whoever felt like making fun of her for that would be assigned to watch Sasha the next night.


	10. Little One 4 (MarinaZero)

**Prompt: "Je pense que nous devrions avoir un autre." ("Let's have another.")**

* * *

><p>Zero placed a hand over his mouth, letting out a slow breath through his nose as he stared at the carnage littering the floor of his room. How Sasha had gotten a hold of a pair of scissors and managed to reach every drawer of his dresser, he had no idea.<p>

He did know that he was going to need to spend a good chunk of cash on some new clothes next time they stopped.

Sasha wasn't fazed by his arrival, scissors continuing to snip into one of his sleep shirts until she'd cut out a wobbly, uneven star. Even so, she smiled proudly at it. It was much better than the last fifty or so she'd cut out.

"Little one," Zero sighed as he picked up a ruined pair of sweat pants from the floor. "Why?"

Her eyes rolled to him as though she'd just noticed him there. "Makin' crafts," she said with a furious nod. To emphasize her point, she held up her newest shape for him. "Hearts and stars and stuff."

"Yes, I can see that." He squatted down to her level. "But why are you cutting up my clothes to do it?"

She looked back down at her work, her eyes growing wide as if she'd just considered the question for the first time. "Because they're soft and got pretty patterns on them," she decided.

"Patterns?" Zero glanced over the clothes littering the floor. Some were red, some gray, some black, but nothing pretty like she might have found in Marina's dresser. Luckily, Sasha had chosen his instead, because she might not have survived ruining Marina's clothes.

Sasha nodded and turned to her pile of cutouts, shuffling through them. "Yeah, your shorts had pretty patterns."

Before Zero could even run through all his shorts in his head – all three pairs – Sasha held up a crooked heart cut from fabric already covered in hearts. She watched curiously as his eyes went wide, his ears turning the color above the brim of his cap. "No," he wheezed.

Before Sasha could ask for clarification, the door slid open to reveal Marina in a similarly horrified state. "Captain, is Sasha-!?" She didn't need to finish her question, spotting the girl looking between her parents in absolute confusion.

"Sasha, no!" Marina was caught halfway between scolding and begging. "Don't cut up people's clothes! We need to wear those! And d-don't leave people's clothes out in the hall. Oh my God."

Zero was caught off guard by the final request, but as soon as he noticed the bra clutched in Marina's hand, it became quite clear. "Oh," he muttered. It was one of her…nicer bras, and he had a feeling she hadn't gotten to it before someone else had spotted it. Her cheeks matched her uniform, and her shoulders were bunched up by her ears.

Sasha began to pout, mostly confused. "Just get more?" she suggested.

"We can't _just _get more clothes, little one," Zero said. "We have to save up money and pay for them. We pay for your clothes too. Wouldn't you be sad if someone cut up your favorite outfits, so you couldn't wear them anymore?"

"You can still wear them?" It was more of a question than a suggestion, and her frown deepened when Zero shook his head. "Fix them?"

Again, Zero shook his head. "We'll just have to buy more."

"And _you'll_ need to help pay for them," Marina hissed through gritted teeth. Her black lace bra alone would take weeks for Sasha to pay off with chores.

Sasha puffed her cheeks, her eyes down on her collection of cutouts. "Can I finish my crafts?"

"Might as well," Zero shrugged just as Marina snapped, "No." "I mean, no," Zero corrected, standing up to cross his arms in an attempt to look firm.

"Okay," Sasha said. "But can I pick out the new clothes?"

Marina sighed, clutching a hand across her face. "Captain, do something to make her understand she's in trouble."

"Sasha, you're in trouble."

"N…no, Captain. That's not what I meant."

After a quick knock, Unabara joined the group, unable to keep from cracking a smile at the sight of the mess. "Captain, I just thought you might want to know that some of your boxers are out in the hall."

Zero blinked. "What? Wh- How?"

Looking back to Sasha gave him no answers. Instead he had to lunge for the scissors to keep her from taking out a chunk of her hair. "Little one, why are my clothes out there?" he demanded, holding the scissors out of reach.

Back to pouting, she twirled the long strand of hair she'd nearly lopped off around her finger. "I dunno. I didn't put 'em there. They just kinda moved by themselves."

"What?" Marina echoed.

Sasha threw her hands up with an explanatory "woosh" noise. "They just floated away," she said. "Oh, like that." She pointed to the now-floating lamp from Zero's bedside table, surrounded in a sight glow, but as her finger moved, so did it.

"'Don't pick up a random kid from an alien planet' I say. 'She might not be human.'" Marina ranted. "But no. The Captain just has to adopt her. And now my bras float around the ship like they're possessed."

But Zero was absolutely grinning. "Let's get some more kids."

Unabara raised a brow, while Marina turned on him, absolutely fuming. Sasha appeared to be the only one to agree with his idea. "Brothers and sisters!?" she squealed.

"Captain, we are not adopting any more kids," Marina warned.

He was too lost in his own thoughts to properly listen. "Well, we can get human ones if you'd prefer."

"Captain, you are missing the point!"

Unabara just smiled, shaking his head. "I guess I'll go get your underwear for you if you're not going to."


End file.
